An exposition with practicall observations continued upon the thirty second, the thirty third, and the thirty fourth chapters of the booke of Job being the substance of forty-nine lectures / delivered at Magnus neare the Bridge, London, by Joseph Caryl ...

Vers. 22. There is no darkness nor shaddow of death, where the workers of iniquity may hide themselves.

This verse holds out that truth negatively, which the former held out affirmatively. There Gods knowledge of mans wayes, was asserted, here his ignorance or nescience of the wayes of man is denied.

There is no darkness, &c.

The words seeme to be the prevention of an objection. For some possibly might say, 'Tis true indeed, God hath a large know∣ledge, his eye seeth farre, but we hope we may sometime be un∣der covert, or compassed about with such darkness, that the Lord cannot see us. Therefore (saith Elihu) there is no darkness nor shaddow of death, where the workers of iniquity may hide themselves. The Prophet gives a parallel proofe and testimony of this know∣ledge of God both in the affirmative and negative part of it.

(Jer: 16.17.) where he first asserts that God seeth all, mine eyes are upon all their wayes, and then denyeth, that any thing is a secret unto him, They are not hid from my face, neither is their ini∣quity hid from mine eyes. These latter words of the Prophet are of the same signification with these of Elihu,

There is no darkness, &c.

We may take darkness two wayes; First, for naturall dark∣ness, that darkness which spreads it selfe over the face of the earth upon the going downe of the Sun, 'tis the privation of Light. Se∣condly, there is artificiall darkness, that darkness which men make to hide themselves, and their actions in, from the eye of God or man; many are very skillfull, yea and successefull in making shad∣dowes to hide their actions from men: They cover the evill which they have done with such cunning excuses or flat denyalls, and they cover what they purpose to doe (how foule soever) un∣der such faire trappings of words, and specious pretenses, they glosse their worst actions and intentions with such appearances of good, that the wisest and best sighted men cannot finde them out. When Absalon had a most unnaturall as well as a most disloyall purpose to rayse a tebellion against his king-father, he coloured it with a devout profession of performing a vow; This was artifici∣all darkness. 'Tis reported by the naturall Historian, of a little fish, which seeing its enemy neare, casts out a kinde of blackness from it selfe, which darkens the water, and so escapes the dan∣ger. Thus men indeed hide themselves from man, and they would hide themselves from God too; but there is no darkness, neither naturall nor artificiall, that can cover their wayes from his eye; No,

Nor shaddow of death.

The importance of this expression hath been opened more then once in this book, (chap. 3.5. chap: 10.21. chap. 12.22. chap. 28.3.) therefore I shall not stay upon it here; only consider, when he saith, There is no darkness nor shaddow of death, by shad∣dow of death, he means extreamest darkness. If there be any dark∣ness (as Job speaks chap. 10.22.) like darkness it self, and whose light is as darkness, that is it. The metaphor is taken from the grave, where the dead being buried, have not the least glympse, ray, or

shine of light coming in to them, death wraps us up in extream∣est darkness. And we finde in Scripture, the shaddow of death put first, to express the extreamest of spiritual darkness, or the dark∣est spiritual state, (Isa. 9.2.) The people that walked in darkness, have seen a great light, they that dwell in the land of the shaddow of death, upon them hath the light shined: that is, they that were wrap∣ped up in the ignorance & utter unbelief of God in Christ, to these is Christ, the true light of God, the Sun of righteousness preached and openly revealed, and they pressed to the receiving of him, that their souls may live further as the shaddow of death is put for the worst of spiritual evils, or to note man's natural state before conversion, so likewise, it is used in Scripture to note the worst of his spiritual evils, who (being converted) is in a spiritual state; He that is in a spiritual state, may be under great spiritual evils, great soul afflictions and troubles may fall upon him; which I conceive David intended while he shewed such high confidence, (Psal. 23.4.) Though I walk through the valley of the shaddow of death, I will fear none evil: as if he had said, Though I were in the worst of soul-afflictions, having no light of the favour of God shining upon me, nor any comfort in my spirit, though (as Heman bemoans his deserted condition (Psal. 88.3.) My soul is full of troubles, and my life draweth nigh unto the grave, though I am laid in the lowest pit, in darkness, in the deep, yet I will fear no evil, for thou art with me, thy rod and thy staffe they comfort me. Again, the shaddow of death is often put in Scripture for the worst of outward worldly evils, (Jer. 13.16.) Give glory to the Lord your God before he cause darkness, &c. and while ye look for light, he turn it into the shaddow of death; that is, while ye expect good times and things, ye fall into the worst, or the worst befal you. Now as these words, the shaddow of death, signifie the worst of, both in spirituals and temporals; so here they signifie the closest concealment of moral evils; some sinners think themselves, as much out of sight as a buried carcass, and they vail their wicked∣ness with such darkness as is like the very shaddow of death. Sin is it self a shaddow of death, yea death it self, and they who are dead in sins and trespasses, will do their best that their sins may be no more seen then the dead are. But there is no darkness nor shaddow of death

Where the workers of iniquity may hide themselves.

What it is to be a worker of iniquity, was opened at the 8th verse of this chapter, and thither I refer the reader. Only in gene∣ral know, Workers of iniquity are more then ordinary sinners, they are cunning at the committing, and cunning at the hiding of sin. Some are but bunglers at sin, they cannot sin with such an hellish skill as others do, and when they have sinned, they have not the art of hiding it; but others are (as we say) their crafts-masters both wayes, and they are properly called workers of iniquity. Yet (saith Elihu) the very workers of iniquity, they that make it their profession, their study, and their business to do evil, and to hide the evil they have done, to work mischief in the dark, and to keep their works in the dark, even they cannot be hid in any darkness. And when the Text saith, there is no darkness, &c. wherein the workers of iniquity may hide themselves; the meaning of it is, they stand naked, and in the open light before the eyes of God.

For though Elihu doth not say from what they cannot hide them∣selves, yet we may take it two wayes; they cannot hide them∣selves, first, from the sight of God; he will discern them. The Prophet saith of God (Isa. 45.15.) Thou art a God that hidest thy self, (it is the word of the Text in another construction) that is, as I conceive, it may be expounded, Thou art an invisible God. God hides himself naturally, or in his own nature, for that is invisi∣ble: likewise God somtimes hideth himself voluntarily, as somtimes he manifesteth or sheweth himself voluntarily; but he is a God alwayes hid as to his nature, because he is invisible; and so he is called a God that hideth himself, in opposition to Idols or false gods, who are obvious to the eyes of men; Idols have eyes and see not, but themselves are seen by every eye. Jehovah the true God seeth, but hath no eye, neither can any eye see him; Thus he is a God hiding himself in the spirituality of his own being, which gross Idols cannot: the following words in that Text in the Prophet seem to make out this sence, (vers. 16.) They shall be ashamed and confounded all of them, (that is, all Idol-makers, and Idol-worshippers, shall be ashamed and confounded) they shall go to confusion together, that are makers of Idols. Now, as God hideth himself both these wayes, somtimes voluntarily, or in his will, he resolves to hide himself from his people, as David com∣plain'd,

(Psal. 13.1.) How long wilt thou hide thy face from me?) alwayes in the spirituality of his own nature; so sinful men would be hidden too: though they cannot be hidden as to their nature, that being corporeal, yet they would hide themselves in their will, their wits are bent upon it, to make covers and shaddows for themselves, that they may keep out of the sight of God, or that they may not be seen of him, who cannot be seen, but is, in that sence, a God that hideth himself.

And as men cannot hide themselves from the sight of God, so not, secondly, from the revenging power of God: This followeth the former; for he that would keep out of the sight of another, doth it usually that he may be hid from that danger and evil which he fears that other might bring upon him. Thus it is with the sin∣ner, he hath his hiding places, he would withdraw himself from the revenging power of God, like a malefactor, who is unwilling to appear and come to the Bar before his Judge, but all in vain.

Meer natural or unregenerate men are much hidden from themselves; that is, they see little what themselves are, they know not their own condition, nor upon what terms they stand; even a godly man is much hidden from himself, his life is hid with Christ in God, (Col. 3.3.) his life is not only hidden from the world, but in a great measure from himself: the excellency of his spiritual state surpasseth his present sight: but a wicked man is much more hid from himself, he doth not see the wickedness of his own heart, nor the danger, the desperate danger he is in, he seeth not that he is within a step of the pit, or that there is, as it were, but a wainscot between him and hell fire; he seeth none of these things. Thus a wicked man is hidden from himself, and 'tis his work to prepare darkness and shaddows of death to cover his dead works from God. But there is no darkness will serve his pur∣pose, nor shaddow of death wherein he may hide himself.

Hence Note.

First, It is usual for, and natural to sinners, to seek hiding places.

When Elihu saith, There is no darkness, &c. he plainly inti∣mates, that it is the designe and business of sinners, to make dark∣ness to hide themselves; it is as much their business to hide them∣selves when they have done evil, as it is their business to do evil.

while the workers of iniquity confess in general the eyes of God behold their ways (they deny not in word that God is All-seeing) yet, as they often blear the eye of man, so they are not out of hope to put darkness and raise a mist between themselves and the eye of God; Or if they rise not to this vain thought, that they can hide themselves from God, yet they come to this, that God hi∣deth himself (as not regarding what they do) from them. Hence David affirms of the wicked man, (Psal. 10.11.) He hath said in his heart, God hath forgotten, he hideth his face, he will never see it. Many say in their hearts, God seeth them not, while with their tongues they confess he is an all-seeing God. The heart hath a tongue in it as well as the head, and these two tongues seldome speak the same language: While the head-tongue saith, we can∣not hide our selves from the sight of God, the heart-tongue of wicked men will say, God will hide himself from us, he will not see▪ But if their heart speak not thus, then as the Prophet saith, (Isa. 29.15.) They dig deep to hide their counsels from God; sure∣ly they have a hope to hide their counsels, else they would not dig deep to hide them. Their digging is not proper, but tropical; as men dig deep to hide what they would not have seen in the earth; so they by heir wits, plots, and devices, do their best to hide their counsels from God, and they say who seeth, who know∣eth? We, surely, are not seen either by God or man.

Now 'tis very natural for sinners to endeavour the hiding of themselves from God upon a two-fold account; First, To avoid shame; All sinners are not altogether deboist, all have not alto∣gether baffled their own consciences, they have a kinde of mode∣sty, they would not be seen sinning; it troubles them not to do evil, but a fear to be detected in doing it is their trouble. Second∣ly, Sinners hide themselves for fear; so Adam did, he wa•• afraid as well as ashamed, I was afraid (said he) because I was naked, and I hid my self, (Gen. 3.10.) The Prophet tells us of such (Isa. 2.21.) They shall go into the clefts of the rock, and into the tops of the ragged rocks, for fear of the Lord, and for the glory of his Majesty, when he shall arise to shake terribly the earth. We finde all sorts call to the hills to hide them, for fear of him that sate on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb, (Rev. 6.15, 16.)

Secondly, Observe.

How much soever sinners attempt, yet they cannot hide them∣selves from God.

Let them study never so long, and dig never so deep, they cannot be hid: Where can a sinner be hid from him who is eve∣ry where? Or, what thing can be our covering from him, in whose sight all things are open? Then let none think they have made a good market in sinning, when they have hid their sins from the eyes of men; what will it avail to hide your selves from men, when you lie open and manifest to the eye of God? read Psal. 139.12. Amos 3.2. The Apostle saith (1 Tim. 5.24, 25.) some mens sins are open before hand, going before to judgment; (that is, other men quickly see what they are, & can judge what they have done) and some men, they follow after; though they were hidden at the first, yet they are afterward discovered unto men often, as alwayes unto God: As they are not hid from God now, so he will bring them forth at last, in the sight of men: that the Apostle adds in the next verse, Likewise also the good works of some are manifest before hand, and they that are otherwise cannot be hid. The word otherwise may have a two-fold reference; First to the word manifest: As if he had said, though the good works of a man be not presently manifest, yet they cannot be long hid, they shall be opened and revealed. Secondly, The word otherwise may refer to good works, and so it reaches the point fully; that is, those works which are not good, or otherwise then good, cannot be hid, though men labour much to hide them. Sinners, leave off your hiding, leave off your hiding, for you shall not be hid. There is no way for sinners to hide themselves from God; they may hide them∣selves in God, in the love, in the favour and mercy of God. Thus sinners may hide themselves in God, but from God they cannot be hid. Christ is a hiding place unto his people, and he is so in a double respect; First, from trouble, or in time of trouble; thus David spake (Psal. 32.7.) Thou art my hiding place: The name of the Lord is a strong Tower (saith Solomon, Prov. 18.10.) the righteous runneth into it (for shelter in time of trouble) and is safe. The Prophet is express in this, (Isa. 32.2.) A man (that is Christ) shall be for a hiding place from the winde, & a covert from the Tempest: Christ is truly so, as to the outward troubles and storms which men raise against his people in the things of this life; he is so, especially as to those internal troubles and storms which Satan, or our owne unbelieving hearts raise against us about the things and concernments of the next life. That man who is

also God, who is God-man, is the hiding place of humbled sinners, against the assault of all evils, whether temporal or spiritual. Se∣condly, As Christ is a hiding place from those troubles which men bring us unto for righteousness sake, or which Satan and our own hearts bring us into by raising questions about our interest in the righteousness of Christ; So he is a hiding place for us against our own unrighteousness. Sinners or unrighteous persons cannot hide themselves from Christ. And as Christ is the best hiding place from bodily dangers, so he is the only hiding place from soul-danger: Any sinner may hide himself in Christ, as to the guilt of sin, whose eyes are opened to see and acknowledge his sin. Or more distinctly, sinners under a fourfold consideration may hide themselves in Christ; First, if humbled sinners. Second∣ly, if confessing sinners. Thirdly, if reforming sinners. Fourthly, believing sinners Christ is a hiding place to all such sinners.* 1.1 And seeing no sinner can hide himself from the wrath of God by any means of his own devising or contriving: Let all sinners give over such vain contrivements, and learn that Gospel wisdome, to hide themselves in Christ from that wrath which is to come. When we labour to hide our selves any other way, we lose our labour, and do not hide our selves from God, but God from our selves; that is, we hide the favour and mercy of God from our selves.

Lastly Observe.

Men are not easily perswaded that they cannot hide themselves from the sight of God.

That hath much hold of us, which we are often warned to avoid. This is not the only place of the whole Scripture, no nor of this particular book where this truth is held forth. There are many and many Scriptures wherein this common truth is pressed upon us. And doth not this (if not strongly infer, yet) intimate at least that man doth not easily believe it? Yea, Is it not an argument that man is apt to nourish himself in those vain hopes, that he can hide himself from God, or that he shall be hid from God? I may cast the foolish presumptions of men about this thing into four sorts. First, Some hope to be hid in the croud, or that they shall not be taken notice of among so many. Secondly, The eyes of others are so darkned, that their sins are hid from themselves, yea

they take their vices for vertues, their evil acts for good; and be∣cause they see no evil in what they do, they are perswaded, or presume God doth not. Thirdly, Many are never so well pleased as when they are flattered, or when others not only hide the sin∣fulness of their wayes from them, but commend and extol them as vertuous and praise worthy. And because their evil ways appear good to some men, they cannot be convinced that there is any e∣vil in them appearing to God. Lastly, As all impenitent sinners put their sins out of their own sight, so nothing pleaseth them more then this imagination, that they shall never come into the sight of God.

Surely the Lord would never urge this matter so often upon the children of men if it were not so. But let sinners consider what they will do, and what will become of them, seeing, as it is impossible that they should be hid, so it will be most intollera∣ble for them them to appear and stand before God in the day of judgement, (Psal. 1.5.) All must come to judgment, and appear at the Bar, but it will be an inexpressible grief to appear, and not be approved, or to appear and then be condemned. Therefore be wise, and hide your selves where you may be hid; do not attempt to hide your selves (which is the attempt of most sinners) where you cannot be hid: They who will needs hide themselves in that dark∣ness and shaddow of death, here spoken of, shall be cast into utter darkness, and abide for ever in that infernal valley of the shaddow of death, in which there is no ease to be had, and from which there is no release to be got. Darkness and death will be the portion of those sinners in the next world, who have studied to shaddow their sins with any kinde of darkness in this.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Cum videri nos non credimus, in sole clausos oculos tene∣mus. Illum à nos abscondi∣mus, non nos illi. Greg. l 25. c. 6.